There is a lot of similarities between this series and the ongoing Spurs/Jazz Western Conference Finals.

The superior San Antonio Spurs won the first two games at home, then relaxed a bit as the Utah Jazz won Game 3 at home. They then took control of the series by winning Game 4 on the road. If you substitute the Detroit Pistons for the Spurs and the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Jazz, you get exactly what happened in the first three games of this series.

Thus, like the Spurs, we now look for the Pistons to bring their “A” game tonight for the first time in this series.I expect them to get out of Cleveland with a rather handy victory and a 3-1 series lead. Detroit has by far the best defense in the Eastern Conference, and that unit is the reason they have been able to sleepwalk through the first three games and yet still have the lead in this series. They have done a good job of containing LeBron James except for the fourth quarter of Game 3, and you can bet that they will stifle him from start to finish tonight, daring one of the Cavalier role players to beat them.

Since Cleveland simply does not have a dependable second option right now, shutting down James should be enough for the Pistons to emerge victorious this evening.

Tonight bet on the Detroit Pistons -1 …

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The last time these clubs got together here in San Antonio, the game was played at the Spurs’ pace as the Phoenix offense could not get going until the middle of the fourth quarter.

Yet, those six minutes of Suns basketball was enough for Phoenix to rally for the improbable road victory. However, the Spurs were lucky that Amare Stoudemire was suspended for Game 5, and they took advantage to take a 3-2 series lead. Now in this potential series-deciding game, we look for San Antonio to once again dictate the pace, just as they have the last two games. Unlike Game 4 however, we do not foresee a late-game breakdown this time around, so look for the Spurs to wrap up the series tonight and advance to the Western Conference Finals to face the Utah Jazz.

After all, San Antonio is the far superior defensive team here, and although the Suns somehow won their last game in this building despite the Spurs dictating the pace, we are practically daring Phoenix to try and win that style of game again!

Tonight the bet is Spurs -3 !!

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Ted Lilly (3-2,2.53) the Chicago Cubs starting pitcher for today against Chicago White Sox has looked in great form all season long. He’s has 8 consecutive quality starts. The Cubbies southpaw has allowed 2 or less ERs in 6 of those outings, and has not allowed more than 4 ERs in a game all season. His pitching opponent Mark Buehrle (-2-1,3.61) has also been a consistent force in his teams pitching rotation ,allowing 3 or less ERs in 6 of his 7 starts during his current campaign. Considering the form of todays starting LHP pitchers, and both teams documented struggles against lefties. The Under in this game is an easy call today.

Bet on the Under Chicago White Sox Chicago Cubs Game…

Rags to Riches to run the 2007 Belmont Stakes
June 6, 2007

The decision was taken on Tuesday by trainer Todd Pletcher to race the nation’s leading filly, Rags to Riches in the 139th Belmont Stakes on Saturday at Belmont Park to make the final leg of the Triple Crown far more interesting than one known in large part for missing Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense.

Rags to Riches inclusion also set off a chain of events regarding horses and, in particular, jockeys. John Velazquez wound up on Rags to Riches by jettisoning Slew’s Tizzy, but not before a late-hour bid by Ron Anderson, the jockey agent for Garrett Gomez, to get off of Hard Spun and back on Rags to Riches, whom Gomez rode to victory in the Kentucky Oaks.

Final entries were due and post positions were to be drawn on Wednesday. A field of seven was expected to be entered: C P West (Edgar Prado the rider), Curlin (Robby Albarado), Hard Spun (Gomez), Imawildandcrazyguy (Mark Guidry), Rags to Riches (Velazquez), Slew’s Tizzy (Rafael Bejarano), and Tiago (Mike Smith). Digger is still possible, with a final decision as to his status expected to have been made Wednesday morning.

Pletcher said he made the decision to run Rags to Riches after talking to Michael Tabor, who owns Rags to Riches along with Derrick Smith. Pletcher said the colt Circular Quay, who also had been under consideration for the Belmont, would instead be “freshened up a little bit.”

“We discussed the pros and cons, and Mr. Tabor said he would be happy with either decision, but he seemed excited when I made the decision that she was going to run,” Pletcher said Tuesday morning at his Belmont Park barn. “There’s a number of reasons. First and foremost, the filly’s doing very well at the moment. Second, she’s bred for it. I’ll probably never have a horse as well bred for it.

For more information about the 2007 Belmont Stakes… Click Here!!

Barbaro honoring race on Preakness Day
May 14, 2007

When Pimlico officials decided in December to rename the Sir Barton stakes after the 2006 Kentucky Derby champion, they hoped Barbaro would recover in time to help launch the inaugural Barbaro Stakes.

“We wanted the horse to parade in front of the fans,” Maryland Jockey Club president and chief operating officer Lou Raffetto said Monday.

Sadly, Barbaro never recovered from breaking his leg early in last year’s Preakness. After a valiant fight to survive, he was put to sleep on Jan. 29.

His name will now live on as the ninth race on the Preakness Day undercard.

“It’s such an honor to have a stake named after your horse. It’s going to be a meaningful day,” said Gretchen and Roy Jackson, owners of Barbaro.

“We wanted to honor Barbaro, but we didn’t want to bring back his memory in a bad way,” Raffetto said. “We didn’t want to dwell on the negatives; we wanted to recognize him in a positive way, then move on.”

The Barbaro Stakes, Raffetto said, will make sure the horse’s “legacy will live on.”

Barbaro trainer Michael Matz is expected to enter Chelokee in the Barbaro Stakes. Matz considered placing Chelokee in the Preakness, but decided the competition was too stiff.

For more information on the Preakness Stakes click here…

The Preakness Stakes, Mark Shuman very content with Xchanger’s performance
May 14, 2007

At Fair Hill, Xchanger breezed five furlongs in 59.40 seconds over the Tapeta Footings synthetic track. Exercise rider Anissa Butler, the fiancee of trainer Mark Shuman, was aboard for the work.

Shuman said he put another horse out in front of Xchanger to get him into the work, but said that Xchanger basically worked on his own. Xchanger is coming off a 4 3/4-length win in the Federico Tesio at Pimlico on April 21.

“Everything’s coming together with this horse,” Shuman said. “He hasn’t missed a beat since that race. I think he’s moved forward. All systems go.”

If Chelokee doesn’t run, Shuman will have Ramon Dominguez to ride Xchanger. If Chelokee does run, Shuman will be in need of a jockey.

* Jockey Edgar Prado is confirmed to ride C P West in the Preakness. Prado has finished third aboard C P West all three times he has ridden him including in the Withers Stakes last month.

* Mint Slewlep, fourth in the Withers Stakes, was to have shipped from Bowie Race Course to Pimlico on Sunday and is scheduled to have a timed workout on Monday. Trainer Robbie Bailes has named the New York-based Alan Garcia to ride.

* Wednesday’s post position draw at the ESPN Zone in Baltimore has been moved up 30 minutes and will now be aired on ESPN2 in a one-hour show beginning at 4:30 p.m. Eastern.

For more information on the Preakness Stakes click here…

Kentucky Derby 2007 Update
May 2, 2007

Cobalt Blue and Xchanger were both withdrawn from consideration for Saturday’s 133rd Kentucky Derby on Tuesday, paving the turf for Teuflesberg and Imawildandcrazyguy to get into the field.

The decision to skip the Derby with Cobalt Blue was made by owner Merv Griffin. He doesn’t think running off a seventh-pace finish in the Illinois Derby and a subsequent subpar workout last weekend at Keeneland was the right thing to do by this horse.

On Tuesday, O’Neill was encouraged by the way Cobalt Blue was training since he put blinkers on the colt on Sunday.

“I think it all starts with the Hawthorne race, that was so disappointing,” O’Neill said Tuesday. “I think his last workout at Keeneland was very questionable; the time was fast but [exercise rider Tony Romero] said he was just really lackadaisical. Merv said don’t run that horse just for me. If we need to bring him back home and find a different spot let’s do it. I put in a little bit of plea because the colt is a talented colt, but at the end of the day it’s probably the right move.”

According to Churchill Downs officials, Mark Shuman, the trainer of Xchanger, informed the racing office that he would not be running his horse in the Derby either.

For more information about this Year’s “Kentucky Derby 2007“… Click Here!!

Training For the Big Day
May 1, 2007

Curlin, the unbeaten winner of the Arkansas Derby, worked four furlongs on Monday morning at Churchill Downs in preparation for Saturday’s 133rd Kentucky Derby.

Five other 3-year-olds expected to run in the Derby also breezed.

Curlin was timed by Daily Racing Form in 48.46 seconds. His Steve Asmussen-trained stablemate Zanjero was timed by DRF in 48.34 seconds for a half-mile.

Hard Spun, the Lane’s End winner, turned in a sizzling five-furlong drill in 57.53 seconds for trainer Larry Jones.

Bwana Bull worked five furlongs in 1:01.78 for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer.

Sedgefield worked a half-mile in 48.46 seconds for trainer Darrin Miller.

And the Bill Kaplan-trained duo of I’mawildandcrazyguy (36.31 seconds) and Storm In May (35.82 seconds) both worked three furlongs.

Stormello and Tiago, who both worked at Hollywood Park on Sunday, were scheduled to arrive at Churchill Downs on Monday around noon.

For more information about this Year’s “Kentucky Derby 2007“… Click Here!!

The Dodgers swept all six games in the season series with the Reds last year. We look forward to them dominating tonight’s game.

Although Cincinnati beat Houston 9-5 yesterday, the Reds are still reeling as that was just their second win in nine games. Bronson Arroyo was a pleasant surprise last season, but teams have figured him out a bit this year, and he did not exactly fool the Dodger hitters the last time he faced them, allowing four earned runs on 10 hits in six innings. Conversely, the southpaw Randy Wolf allowed just one run and six hits with eight strikeouts in 5.1 innings in Atlanta in his last start, and he has two Quality Starts in his last three outings against the Reds.

Los Angeles has the far superior bullpen ERA here at 3.00, compared to a 4.50 for the Reds. The Dodgers are defintely worth the modest investment tonight.

Tonight the bet is on LA Dodgers. Bet on the Los Angeles Dodgers laying the 20 cents.

Jake Peavy has pitched brilliantly for the Padres this season, posting a 1.75 ERA and an outstanding 0.97 WHIP with 56 strikeouts in 46.1 innings. He has now posted double-digit strikeout totals in three consecutive starts while allowing a grand total of three runs and nine hits in 21 innings over those outings. Considering that he is facing a putrid Cardinal lineup that is hitting .220 as a team over the last 10 games, we would not be at all shocked if St. Louis scores either one or no runs tonight!

Now granted Kip Wells has been a horror show lately, but for whatever reason, he has always pitched well vs. San Diego, allowing two runs or less in five of his six career starts against them. Besides, the Padres are not exactly scorching the ball themselves, batting just .224 vs. right-handed pitching in the last 10 contests.

Finally, both of these bullpens are ranked in the top four in the Major Leagues in ERA, with San Diego third at 2.53 and St. Louis fourth at 2.97, which become even more important when going Under a low total like this.

Today the bet is St. Louis Cardinals , San Diego Padres u7.0. Bet on the Cards, Padres Under 7!!

The Tigers enter this contest fire having won 9 of their L/10 games. Mike Maroth Motowns southpaw starting pitcher has seen his team win his L/6 starts , including the Twins defeat their last time out. The struggling Twins who have lost 7 of their L/10 overall, will send Cy Young award winner, Johan Santana, to the mound to face a Tigers team that had success against him the last time they met. Recording 3 runs and 8 hits in 6 innings of work in their April 29th meeting. Santana has seen his team lose 3 of his L/5 starts, partly due to a lack of run support, but also because of some rare concentration inconsistencies. With that being said, I say ride the momentum of the Tigers. Minnesota has failed in 6 of their L/8 opportunities as favorites. Tigers have won 5 straight as underdogs. Tigers are 6-0 in Maroths L/5 road starts. Twins have lost 4 straight at home against a lefty starter.

The play is defintely Detroit. Bet on Detroit Tigers today!!

Dan Haren (3-2, 1.75 ERA) the Oakland As starting pitcher for this tilt against KC Royals has been a consistent force in his teams pitching rotation this season , recording 5 quality starts in 7 outings. Gil Meche, the Royals starter has been equally staunch posting a 3-1 record along with a , 2.23 ERA. With two top quality throwers on the mound today for these teams a low scoring affair looks to be on the agenda. Oakland is is 12-2 UNDER when playing against a team with a losing record this season, combining with those opponents for 7.5 RPG. Oakland is 15-3 UNDER against right-handed starters this season with the average combined score of those tilts ringing in at 6.7 RPG. Today the bet on Under Oakland As KC Royals game. Click here for the latest baseball information.

Cobalt Blue and Xchanger were both withdrawn from consideration for Saturday’s 133rd Kentucky Derby on Tuesday, paving the turf for Teuflesberg and Imawildandcrazyguy to get into the field.

The decision to skip the Derby with Cobalt Blue was made by owner Merv Griffin. He doesn’t think running off a seventh-pace finish in the Illinois Derby and a subsequent subpar workout last weekend at Keeneland was the right thing to do by this horse.

On Tuesday, O’Neill was encouraged by the way Cobalt Blue was training since he put blinkers on the colt on Sunday.

“I think it all starts with the Hawthorne race, that was so disappointing,” O’Neill said Tuesday. “I think his last workout at Keeneland was very questionable; the time was fast but [exercise rider Tony Romero] said he was just really lackadaisical. Merv said don’t run that horse just for me. If we need to bring him back home and find a different spot let’s do it. I put in a little bit of plea because the colt is a talented colt, but at the end of the day it’s probably the right move.”

According to Churchill Downs officials, Mark Shuman, the trainer of Xchanger, informed the racing office that he would not be running his horse in the Derby either.

For more information about this Year’s “Kentucky Derby 2007“… Click Here!!

Curlin, the unbeaten winner of the Arkansas Derby, worked four furlongs on Monday morning at Churchill Downs in preparation for Saturday’s 133rd Kentucky Derby.

Five other 3-year-olds expected to run in the Derby also breezed.

Curlin was timed by Daily Racing Form in 48.46 seconds. His Steve Asmussen-trained stablemate Zanjero was timed by DRF in 48.34 seconds for a half-mile.

Hard Spun, the Lane’s End winner, turned in a sizzling five-furlong drill in 57.53 seconds for trainer Larry Jones.

Bwana Bull worked five furlongs in 1:01.78 for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer.

Sedgefield worked a half-mile in 48.46 seconds for trainer Darrin Miller.

And the Bill Kaplan-trained duo of I’mawildandcrazyguy (36.31 seconds) and Storm In May (35.82 seconds) both worked three furlongs.

Stormello and Tiago, who both worked at Hollywood Park on Sunday, were scheduled to arrive at Churchill Downs on Monday around noon.

For more information about this Year’s “Kentucky Derby 2007“… Click Here!!